We teamed up with Kim at Simple Squares to bring you her amazing new cinnamon clove whole food bars. They have no wheat, gluten, dairy, soy or refined sugar. They’re kosher, and make an excellent treat to snack on any time of the day.

We paired them with aged Gewurtztraminer (pronounced “Guh-vertz-tra-mean-er”), a unique white varietal which has aromatic notes of allspice, cinnamon and baked fruit. It’s concentrated color is one of the darkest you’ll see in a white wine, and when aged its cinnamon and honey flavors are amazing.

As this was the last product that I had left from the September Knoshbox (the Wine Pairing themed box), I decided to continue with the wine pairing theme and I selected a white wine-inspired tea to enjoy with this Cinnamon Clove bar. I chose this White Tea Riesling from Vintage TeaWorks, and it was a stunning collaboration of flavors! The fruity flavors of the tea really melded in a beautiful way with the spiced notes of the Simple Squares bar.

I like that this is nutty, sweet, and warm with spice. It has a nice crunch and a pleasant chewy consistency, and it doesn’t feel sticky as I hold it in my hands … I don’t feel like I need to run off and immediately wash my hands after finishing the bar, it doesn’t leave that sticky feeling on my fingers the way some “soft” granola bars can.

The cinnamon and clove tastes pleasantly spiced without out tasting overly spicy. It makes a great pairing with tea, because there are some complex flavor notes that accentuate the complexity of the tea. I’m eating this with the aforementioned tea, but, I think this would also taste great with a Darjeeling or a Dark Oolong.

My Final Thoughts:

I’ve enjoyed all the Simple Squares Bars that I’ve sampled, and this one is no exception. In fact, this one might be my favorite yet. I love the zesty spices that taste warm without tasting too spicy. This is delicious and very satisfying.